An acrid smell or taste is strong and unpleasant and stings your nose or throat.

An acrimonious meeting or discussion is one in which bitter, resentful, and angry people argue a lot.

When you are agitated by something, you are disturbed or troubled by it.

If you are bellicose, you behave in an aggressive way and are likely to start an argument or fight.

A belligerent person or country is hostile, aggressive, very unfriendly, and prone to fight.

If you describe someone as having a bilious personality, you mean that she is highly irritable and bad tempered.

Someone who is boisterous is noisy, excitable, and full of boundless energy, and thus shows a lack of disciplined restraint at times.

If someone is described as having a bristling personality, it means that he is either easily offended or is annoyed and/or angry.

Bucolic is used to describe things that are related to or characteristic of rural or country life.

A cacophony is a loud, unpleasant mixture of sounds.

A chaotic state of affairs is in a state of confusion and complete disorder.

Two people concordant with each other are in agreement or harmony.

A dirge is a slow and sad piece of music often performed at funerals.

When you are in a state of disarray you are disorganized, disordered, and in a state of confusion.

When you are discombobulated you are confused and upset because you have been thrown into a situation that you cannot temporarily handle.

A situation that is discordant does not fit with other things and is therefore disagreeable, strange, or unpleasant.

Dissonance is an unpleasant situation of opposition in which ideas or actions are not in agreement or harmony; dissonance also refers to a harsh combination of sounds.

When you are in a dither you are in a state of nervous agitation or indecision.

Something that is divisive is likely to cause arguments between people.

Euphony is a pleasing sound in speech or music.

A fracas is a rough and noisy fight or loud argument that can involve multiple people.

When two people are in a harmonious state they are in agreement with each other; when a sound is harmonious it is pleasant or agreeable to the ear.

When there is havoc there is great disorder, widespread destruction, and much confusion.

An idyll is a place or situation which is extremely pleasant, peaceful, and has no problems.

An impending event is fast approaching, or is about to occur; this word usually has a negative force, such as something threatening coming.

An incursion is an unpleasant intrusion, such as a sudden hostile attack or a land being flooded.

A maelstrom is either a large whirlpool in the sea, or a violent or agitated state of affairs.

An ominous sign predicts that something bad will happen in the near future.

If someone is pilloried, she is publicly criticized or ridiculed by a lot of people, especially in the media.

A placid scene or person is calm, quiet, and undisturbed, and generally tends to remain so.

A state of quiescence is a state of quiet and restful inaction.

A raucous sound is unpleasantly loud, harsh, and noisy.

A serene place or situation is peaceful and calm.

A stentorian voice is extremely loud and strong.

A strident person makes her feelings or opinions known in a forceful and strong way that often offends some people; not surprisingly, a strident voice is loud, harsh, and shrill.

If something is tranquil it is peaceful, calm, and quiet.

A tumultuous event or period of time is filled with great excitement, confusion, or violence; a tumultuous reaction to something is likewise very loud and noisy because people are happy and excited.

Turbulence describes a state of extreme disorder or confusion, and can also refer to unpredictable wind currents.

When you experience turmoil there is great confusion, disturbance, instability, and disorder in your life.

When you have a vehement feeling about something you feel very strongly or intense about it.

A virulent disease is very dangerous and spreads very quickly.

Vitriolic words or deeds are bitter, unkind, and very mean-spirited.

Vituperative remarks are full of hate, anger, and cruel criticism.

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Adj.

halcyon

HAL-see-uhn

Context

The early days of our marriage were a golden, halcyon, peaceful time. In my mind, those prosperous and halcyon days were full of sunshine and carefree fun. Later, when the war came, we would remark that we’d never appreciated the calm and halcyon days when we were at peace. Even after the war had ended, life never had the same halcyon, trouble-free quality of those early years.

Memory Hook

All's Lying Down During our halcyon days we're all lying down and resting in peace and calmness.

Examples

Since those halcyon days in the 1980s, when the land occupied by the Imperial Palace was apparently worth as much as the whole of California, prices in Tokyo have dropped by two-thirds.
—The Economist

There was a brief halcyon period in the late 1950s when Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru thought the two nations would link arms, redefine Asia, and create a developing-world socialist paradise.
—The Christian Science Monitor

People with kids are fond of recalling those halcyon days before the children arrived, when — to lift an apt line from Montaigne — we could be 'ever booted and spurred and ready to depart.'
—The Christian Science Monitor

Those who long for the days when sports were simpler would do well to remember that in those halcyon times, replay wasn’t an issue.
—Sports Illustrated

Word Ingredients

From a root word meaning “kingfisher, mythical bird.” The kingfisher was once believed to have been a magical bird that could cause 14 days of beautiful and calm weather around the winter solstice, a truly halcyon period of time.